Back and head rest for invalids.



No. 775,482. 7 PATENTED NOV. 22, 1904. R. WHITE.

BAGK AND HEAD REST FOR INVALIDS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 16, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

No. 775,4se.

Patented November 22, 190%. m-

PATENT Grains.

LAURA ROGERS WHITE, OF ASHLAND, KENTUCKY.

BACK AND HEAD REST FOR lNVALlDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 775,482, dated November 22, 1904.

Application filed May 16, 1903. $eria1N0. 157,481. (No model.)

To (Ii/Z whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAURA Roenns WHITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ashland, in the county of Boyd and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Back and Head Rest for Invalids, of which the following is a specification.

' My invention relates to improvements in back and head rests which are suitable for placing in the bed for resting the back and head of the patient when sitting up; and the objects of my invention are, first, simplicity; second, durability; third, to provide an appliance of its class which shall be easily adjustable; fourth, lightness, and, fifth, to provide such an appliance which may be folded closely together and occupy little room when stored away or may be kept in the bed with the patient without inconvenience and of such a form that it may be easily washed and rendered aseptic. I

I attain these objects by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the hinged portion in use as a back-rest without the perforated body-rest; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the entire rest with the head-rest in use; Fig. 3, a perspective view of the adjustable hinged portion; Fig. 1, a front elevation of the perforated body-rest with the head-rest in place; Fig. 5, a perspective View of the head-rest; Fig. 6. a rear elevation of the perforated backrest; Fig. 7, a side elevation illustrating the manner of attaching the body-rest, and Fig. 8 an alternate form of the head-rest.

Heretofore chairs, boxes, and other cumbersome apparatus have been used for supporting the back of invalids during convalescence while sitting up. It was diificult for the nurse to manage these, and in the absence of the nurse the patient could not help himself.

-When not in use, these appliances were in the way and perhaps unsightly. I have overcome these difliculties by the improvement hereinafter described.

The body rest 1 consists simply of two boards 3 and 4 about three inches wide hinged together by a hinge 10, secured a short distance below the upper end of the short board 4: and toward the end of the long board 3 and provided at a short distance from the free ends of said boards with screw-eyes or other suitable fastenings 7 and 8. Through these fastenings a cord 6 ispassed and tied. I prefer to use a cord, though a chain or any other suitable brace may be used.

When the rest is used on an iron bed, a T- bar 20 is provided, which is secured-by its stem in the set-screw clamp 19, which may be attached to the piece 3.

The body-rest 2 is a board of relatively extended area, made, preferably, of veneered wood in order to be strong and light. It may be ornamented by perforations, and the perforations will also serve for ventilation and keeping the patient cool. The veneered bodyrest 2 may be supported on its edges by a rim 14 and by reinforcing-braces 15. Parallel vertical rows of perforations are formed on each edge of the board, which serve to adjustably secure the head-rest 5. At the lower end of the loody-rest 2 on the rear is secured a clip 12, formed approximately like a drawerpull, and a similar clip 11 is secured above clip 12 about the middle of rest 2. These clips have openings suitable to receive the ends of board 4:. On the median line of the body-rest 2 near the upper end avertical slot 16 is formed through the board to receive the stem 18 of the head-rest 21. Immediately below the slot in the back of body-rest 2 is secured the set-screw clamp 17 for fastening adjustably the stem 18.

The head-rest 21 is crescent-shaped and is secured, by means of a hinge 22, to a shorter stationary head-rest 23. The head-rest 21 may be turned up on its hinge in the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 7. The rest 23is firmly secured to the right-angled rod 18. The rod 18 is passed through slot 16 and secured in set-screw clamp 17.

The head-rest 5 consists of a wire loop having its free ends 9 bent upward at right angles and a cushion of suitable material secured around the straight part of the loop. The cushion-rest 5 is of smaller diameter in the middle and enlarged at each end, so as to hold the head securely so as to prevent its rolling sidewise. It is secured to the body-rest 2 by simply passing the ends 9 through the perforations 13 and dropping it.

Having thus described the construction of my invention, its manner of use will now be readily understood. If the patient desires to have the back supported, he sits up without otherwise moving his position in the bed, the back-rest 1 is unfolded, the arm 3 is pushed between the bolster and the mattress or between the pillow and the bolster, the rest 4: is set up behind him and covered with a pillow, when he may lean back comfortably. The proper inclination of the rest 1 may be obtained by shortening or lengthening the brace 6. When this rest 1 is no longer needed, the nurse or the patient himself may remove it and fold it up and place it under the cover or lay it away. If the patient is weak and requires more support, the body may be supported by means of the body-support 2. To apply this, the patient sits up, as before described, the body-rest 2 is then placed between the patients back and rest 1, the lower end of piece 4 is pushed downward through clip 12 until the upper end will pass into clip 11, then rest 2 may be pushed down until clip 11. passes over the upper end of piece 4:, and the rest 2 is thus firmly secured to rest 1. The patient may then lean back and the inclination of the entire rest may be adjusted, as previously described. If it is desired to support the head more comfortably than is done by the fiat board-surface of rest 2, one of the head-rests may be applied. The head-rest 5 may be adjusted as to height by placing the wires 9 through higher or lower sets of perforations 13. If the patient desires to sleep in a reclining position and there is danger of his head rolling off, the crescentshaped rest 21 may be used. To apply this, its stem 18 is inserted through the slot 16 in the body-rest 2 and downward through the set-screw clamp 17 and secured at the proper height.

Having thus described my invention so that any one skilled in the art pertaining thereto may make and use it, I do not desire to claim the details of construction minutely; but

What I'claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an appliance for resting the body in a sitting or reclining position, the combination of a board of relatively extended area, an attaching-clip secured to the rear and at the lower end of said board, an attaching-clip secured to the rear near the middle of said board, and an adjustable, A-shaped back-rest having the upper end of one side extended beyond theapex and the lower end of the same side extended beyond the junction of the crossbar, and these extended ends detachably placed under the said clips. substantially as specified.

2 In a bed-rest, the combination of an adjustable A-shaped portion comprising a short bar, a relatively longer bar hinged near the upper end of said short bar, and means for adjusting the angle of said short and said longer bar, a body-rest of relatively extended area detachably disposed on said A-shaped portion comprising a board and securing-clips, and a head-rest detachably disposed on the upper end of said body-rest, substantially as specitied.

3. In an A-shaped back-rest, comprising a relatively long bar hinged to a relatively short board and attached to it somewhat below the center by an adjustable tension-brace, a T- shaped end adjustably attached to the bar for LAURA ROGERS WHITE.

Witnesses:

FANNY. O. MAYHEW, SARAH A. WHITE. 

